LOCKDOWN ROUND TWO - WEEK ONE!!

Lockdown Round Two, week one, done!! 

All but Monday, when I worked, I've been out for my daily 'allowed' exercise. During the first lockdown, my daily 'Boris Walk' as Sam lovingly called them, was the one constant and thing I looked forward to. We were lucky with the weather and initially you weren't allowed to travel and were limited to an hour. Once we were allowed to travel, we explored just a little further afield and I discovered the Poldens

 This time round, allowed to travel for exercise, I have found my local woods my happy place. I've made an effort to get out daily for a couple of hours I'll admit, just me on my own predominantly and my camera. I share all my adventures in more detail over on Instagram but here's a roundup in pictures.

The Poldens

Ivythorn Woods / Walton Hill

Combe Hill Woods

Ivythorn Woods to the main road

Dundon Beacon, Compton Dundon

Combe Hill Woods

Yes we can travel this time for exercise BUT we are only to make essential journeys and stay close to home. So I've given myself a 5 mile radius from the house to which I feel is appropriate travel for exercise. Yes I'd love to be adventuring around Stockhill Woods, Wells, Ebbor Gorge etc but should I in lockdown!?! It's not like I don't have perfectly good places to walk closer to home and when lockdown is lifted, I'll have all these places to re-explore.

So Lockdown Round Two, Week Two begins....

And today, I got up early and went up and around Glastonbury Tor.

Will share more in my weekend round up!

Week one of November and lockdown round two!!

Wow! A week into November already. 

Seems too late to say farewell to October and.....

....hello to November.

Seems slightly more frightening that it's already 5 years ago since the builders

 moved in and work started on the kitchen/bedroom extension.

It's been a busy week. I worked the Sunday and Monday, had Tuesday off as holiday, originally booked off for a trip to Amsterdam to celebrate Sophie's 21st but instead I spent the morning with Sam in Stockhill Woods, spotting the red and white wonderful Fly Agaric

And didn't we do well! It's the only place I've spotted them...

...and this lot too!

Wednesday was Sophie's 21st (see previous post)

And then Thursday we went into Lockdown Round Two!!

Not much changes for us as a family, just the meeting up for the special birthday celebrations, meal out... We're all still working and exercise is still allowed and this time around, you can travel to exercise. Although you have to question whether your journey is essential. So although I'd love to be revisitig Stockhill Woods, Ebbor Gorge etc, I think it's wrong to do so. I appreciate that we can drive for exercise and I'm lucky I have the fabulous Polden's just 5 minute drive from the house, Glastonbury Tor etc but I would feel wrong going to Wells or further afield, so I'm sticking closer to home and am going to get out in the fresh air every day if dry.

So on Thursday, day one of lockdown round two, I got up early and parked up by Combe Hill Woods and walked a stretch I'd not done before.

It was the first frost of the year, a car scrapper!! 

but as a result beautiful cobwebs....

...and the most fabulous sunshine, once it burnt through the fog.

A few finds found on my wanderings.

Friday day two and another early start, just me, literally, I didn't see another soul. I parked up at Ivythorn Woods and sloped off down into the woods that run parallel to the official Polden Way pathway.

worth it....

....another fab selection of finds along the way.

Saturday was just me again, the boys bed is too tempting for him, he needs his sleep!!

So back up to Combe Hill Woods and a very muddy walk.

But what a wonderful place to spend any amount of time. I'm finding the woods are my happy place. I love getting there early, having the place to myself and just stand in the most amazing surroundings, just breathe in the fresh air and just feel all the stresses and strains leave me. A friend from Uni days suggested I look up Shinrin Yoko - Forest Bathing

It describes exactly how I feel, when I just stand and take stock of my surroundings.

I even got to see some deer on my wanderings.......

....and fungi the size of my hand!!

Plus all of these.

So today, Sunday, a rare day off, booked as holiday for our trip to Amsterdam. I normally work an 8 hour shift every Sunday. Prior to today, I've had just 3 Sunday's off all year, so I decided to still take it. It rained, of course, so I enjoyed a lazy morning at home drinking coffee!

Once the rain cleared Jeff and I headed back up to 

Ivythorn Woods and went for an hours burst of fresh air.....

....and a few more fungi finds along the way.

It's back to work for me tomorrow and Monday and then I have more holiday, booked for my birthday originally but again, every plan has been cancelled, so I'm going to still take the time off but enjoy some time at home. More wanderings around the woods, a good clean and tidy up of the house, might even start to write a few Christmas cards.... a perfect, slow paced, nowhere to go kinda week x

 

Birthday Girl - 21!!!!!

So, somehow my first born just turned 21!?!

Where, oh where, have those years gone?

I feel very lucky to have such a close relationship with my daughter. We spend a lot of time together and I am so proud of the young woman she has become. It's not quite the birthday or year she had hoped or planned for but she still had a lovely day.

Presents wrapped....

....and opened!!

Our plans were scuppered, we were supposed to be celebrating in a European city somewhere! Originally we planned to go Amsterdam, maybe Lisbon for some sunshine. We then thought, let's go to Edinburgh or Brighton, which then became Oxford or Exeter, which ended up being....

....ASK in Wells!!

Despite it not being where we wanted to be, she still got to go out and celebrate before we went into Lockdown Round Two, the following day!

It was lovely, we missed Jeff obviously as he was working but going out made it feel more of an occasion and being the last day before lockdown, it got quite busy.

We then had a lovely meal at home once Jeff returned from work.

And had cake for pudding! Always!!

Make a wish x

Sophie then spent the evening 'virtually' with her friends until 2am!! 

How times have changed but nice they could all celebrate together. 

Cheers!

October ends...

Where has this week gone? 

It's been a shocker on the weather front but we've tried to grab every dry moment we can, to go out and get some fresh air....

....enjoy the autumn colours. 

This picture of Glastonbury Tor was taken from the Hood Monument. Sam and I have been waiting for the trees to turn more autumnal, to capture this 'framed' shot.

We spotted more fungi out on our walk through Combe Hill Woods.

I'd never really appreciated the variety. 

Goes to show what you can miss if you're not looking for it.

Love this shot of Jeff striding out along the ridge.

Amazingly I'm still picking figs from my little tree in the garden.

The smoke tree is doing it's 'thing' and turning the most vibrant red.

Yesterday my sister and I went down to Cornwall to see our Granny....

...and met with Mum and Dad for lunch.

It was lovely to spend so much time together and see everyone whilst we still can. There's a Press Conference today, a rumoured second Lockdown, to be enforced from Wednesday!?!

 Poor Sophie, that's her 21st birthday, will have to make it a special day nevertheless.

So it's Halloween today. Our homegrown pumpkins have done us proud.

So much so, that Jeff has become too attached to them to actually carve them...

...and went and bought himself a shop bought one to carve!

We're not expecting any Trick or Treaters this year. 

By the sounds of it, come 4pm, we'll be back into lockdown for the next month at least! No birthday celebrations for Sophie or I, although I guarantee they'll still be cake and a bottle of bubbly to mark the occasion. I've decided to stay at 49 for the year, hold back time and celebrate next year instead!!